A Look Back at Connecticut's Monumental February Blizzard of '78

The Blizzard of 1978 rolled into Danbury, Connecticut on Monday, February 6 without much of a warning. Ask any grownup who lived in the northeast in '78, and I bet they'll agree that it was the most colossal storm of the century.

It not only dumped a record amount of snow in 33 hours, but its 86 mph hurricane-force winds brought zero visibility for travelers along with hundreds of thousands of power outages as well.

Some Connecticut residents might tell you it was the perfect storm. But unfortunately, in central and southern New England, the snow falling at night turned to an icy mix that left a notable layer of solid ice on every external surface. This ice exceedingly complicated recovery efforts in subsequent days, as it added considerable weight to power lines and tree limbs.

The Blizzard of 1978

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.